The pink-hued Cork “bitch-pop” band have built a strong reputation for their live shows. Their debut single has landed.
Since forming in Cork in late 2024, Babyrat have built their reputation on their live shows and their exuberant power-pop songs.
With a sound that takes cues from The Strokes, The Replacements and Olivia Rodrigo with razor-sharp riffs and choruses, ‘Roses’ is a fun punk pop song with colour and attitude, that opens their live shows.
“‘Roses is about love turning to spite in a coming-of-age setting,” says the band. “The reason it’s the opening song in every set is the same reason why it is our first release, it’s the perfect introduction to us and sets the tone for what we are and what’s to come.”
Written initially by vocalist Zoe Jordan in the wake of a bitter breakup, ‘Roses’ started life as an acoustic song before growing into a live favourite that Babyrat eventually brought into Camden Studios in Dublin to record properly. It was produced by the band’s own Jamie Kierans alongside Alessandro Di Camillio.
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But the song is really about what comes after the breakup rather than the breakup itself. It was written during a stretch of late nights, new friendships and finding your people in Cork, and name-checks the actual nights out that shaped it, moving from acoustic sessions in The Roundy to dancing in An Bróg. The line “the girls from The Roundy going to Bróg to dance” gets at the core idea: sometimes the best revenge is just having a better time without them.
The band’s upcoming gigs are
- 20 Sep — Sunday Sessiún, London Irish Centre
- 26 Sep — Other Voices Music Trail, Derry
Niall Byrne is the founder of the most-influential Irish music site Nialler9, where he has been writing about music since 2005. He is the co-host of the Nialler9 Podcast and has written for the Irish Times, Irish Independent, Sunday Times, Totally Dublin, Cara Magazine, Red Bull and more. Niall is a DJ, co-founder of Lumo Club, event curator, Indie Sleaze club promoter, and producer of gigs and monthly listening parties & events in Dublin.
